1. Early in the film, Kabir (Hrithik Roshan) aims to shoot someone while speaking to Naidu (Mohit Chauhan). Their conversation is about a terrorist who radicalizes others by promising them heaven. This is followed by a scene where lights on a signboard called Hotel Lotus become Hell. This trope has been seen in other films, such as Mom, Blackmail, and Gulaal. Later, when Kabir agrees to enlist Khalid in his team, Colonel Luthra (Ashutosh Rana) congratulates him by saying, "You're in hell now," again bringing up the topic of hell.
Hell
Life Suc(k)s
Karma
Hell Here
2. War talks about chess pieces—Haathi (Rook), Ghoda (Knight), Wazir (Bishop), and Pyada (Pawn). (In reality, a wazir is not a bishop. It is the queen who is the wazir while the bishop is called the uth. War, as is commonly believed, also refers to wazir as the bishop.) Kabir eliminates the three but struggles to identify the pawn. However, Saurabh reveals that he was the pawn. In chess, when a pawn reaches the final square on the opposite side, it can become whatever they want. Saurabh (Yash Raaj Singh), Ilyasi's pawn, infiltrated the rival side and becomes Khalid (Tiger Shroff) in the Indian intelligence establishment. Plastic surgery is combined with the game of chess. We saw a similar strategy being used in Bejoy Nambiar's Wazir, too, where Omkar Nath (Amitabh Bachchan) became the all-powerful wazir (queen) from a pawn. He sacrificed himself to play an elaborate game in which he used the powers of the queen to checkmate his opponent.
3. War is the second film this year after Nitesh Tiwari's Chhichhore that believes that it is not the final result that decides if one is a winner or a loser; it is one’s effort that decides if one is a loser or not. Kabir motivates Roohi (Dishita Sehgal) that if one gives their very best to a game, they are already a winner and the end result does not matter. I should have watched War before writing this piece.
4. The plastic surgery twist took me by surprise. The first one was kind of expected but the final reveal was not something I saw coming. This was like the ending of Farhan Akhtar's Don where it was revealed that Don was alive and was pretending to be Vijay this whole time. Don had switched places with Vijay at the hospital and took him off life support, causing him to die. Saurabh does something similar with Khalid in War.
5. It was also fun to capture the little details. The tattoo on Khalid's arm was a combination of slanted Vs. When we see the Indian intelligence agency office, the tube lights are the exact same shape as Khalid's tattoo. Later, in Tikrit, the transmitter with Kabir is also of the same V shape.
V Symbols
6. The plane fight sequence, inspired by Mission Impossible, is excellently done. There is a scene in that sequence where Kabir finds the position of his opponents by throwing the spectacles in air. It was great. At many places, War reminded me of are-you-like-checking-me-out Dhoom 2 where Hrithik played the role of a thief. The scenes where he drops from the parachute on the ship or the scene where he jumps into the river using a rope were reminiscent of Dhoom 2.
7. The film's opening fight happens where Khalid fights some henchmen in a one-take shot without any cuts. There is no background music in the sequence. The initial parts of the last fight between Kabir and Khalid also happen with no background score. There are two major chase sequences. One in which Khalid chases Kabir and the second where Kabir chases Khalid. Both of them are made more enjoyable by the drone shots capturing the top view.
8. Although Vaani Kapoor's role is a short one, her character Naina plays a crucial role in awakening Kabir's conscience. Her scenes with Kabir were some of my favorite scenes from the film. When she sees Kabir in a tense mood, she knew something was wrong and asks him, "Mera dil tootne vala hai?" Naina teaches Kabir some timely lessons related to the discourse of nationalism. Not everyone has vowed to save India by being a soldier. For ordinary people, trying to live a decent life is a battle in itself. She also talks to him about the importance of relationships and that she cannot trust a loner like him who has chosen the path of martyrdom. She gives a painting of her daughter Roohi's dream to remind him that she is not just a civilian asset. In the end, Kabir makes sure to fulfill that dream where he takes her for surfing in Australia. Vaani's death happens like the death in the final scene of Shashank Khaitan's Dhadak.
9. A lot has been written on the homoerotic vibes between Khalid and Kabir. It is hard not to ignore the not-so-subtle moments that make one wonder about the nature of the relationship between the two characters. Early in the film, Colonel remarks that Khalid won't be able to find Kabir because he loves him. When Kabir goes to Naina to reveal his identity, she wonders if he has another girlfriend or a boyfriend. Later, Aditi (Anupriya Goenka) jokes and asks Kabir that she will run away with Kabir if he agrees and on listening to this, Khalid says with a smile, "Can I get in line?" This reminds me that I have to finish writing something on the homosexual undertones not just between two lead characters but also Ghasite (Alok Nath) and Lalu (Virendra Saxena) in Sonu Ke Titu Ke Sweety. These two men had their own secret place at the balcony and were called Batman and Robin (who were rumored to be in a same-sex relationship). More on that some other day.
10. It is only fitting that the final fight between the two happens in an old church with walls decorated with renaissance era paintings. There is a particular scene where the two arrange themselves in a way that looks like Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam.
11. Khalid joins the intelligence agency because he wanted to remove the tag of gaddar from his family as his father was a proven traitor. Mera baap chor gaddar hai. Khalid's mother was the one who gave information about her husband's activities but the world still views their family with suspicion. She wants to live a life of izzat—dignity. The film ends with Khalid, a Muslim, receiving a bravery award from the president who looks like Narendra Modi. Again a scene where the film keeps us guessing about its intent.
12. There is a phrase in that Jai Jai Shivshankar that says, "Vilayati bhaang chada ke." What ingredients would be required to make vilayati bhaang?
13. For a film titled War, there are expectedly a lot of references about God and religion in the film. The dialogues have some great lines. "Kuch to baat hai iss chehere me, har koi wafadari ki umeed rakhta hai."
14. The cinematography by Benjamin Jasper is terrific. The following are some ice and fire images from the film.
"Hum bhi chal rahe the, saaye bhi wahan the, ishaare the kitne, samajhdaar kahan the."
—Khalid, War
—Khalid, War
Hi Pankaj, coincidentally I watched it yesterday on Sunday noon and today i read your post.
ReplyDeleteI planned for mutton meal on Sunday and a nice movie always compliments a delicious meal and a lazy Sunday. I had really very low expectations from movie and was of opinion that it would be as boring as Saaho. But surprisingly it was a good watch. The initial fight sequence which occurs somewhere in Middle East was much similar to "Ek Tha Tiger". At times even i felt that movie resembled with Dhoom 2, especially when Hrithik was building some magnetic equipment while he was speaking with Tiger. He even tests his magnetic device, just the way he does in Dhoom 2. The plane sequence was funnier, could have been better. Even the bike chase was reminded me of Dhoom 2. When it is revealed about the true identity of Tiger, even i immediately thought of Don movie and the particular scene where one SRK lifts up another SRK. Overall it was a good watch and the suspense was also interesting. But Tiger hitting the right targets on his right hand side was a big clue that something was off with him. Alas, it was a good movie, could have been better. Thanks for the post.